Repression
by Liu Barrowin
Summary: Absence makes the heart grow stronger. The Tale of Gibari's childhood and the events leading up to the begining of his quest to save the world from Malpercio's Wrath. Rated Mature for Language and Sexual content. YAOI. Read to find out who and why.
1. Denial

**_Holy flaming hell. OMG OMG OMGjkshdfai hsfdh 'askhg;ah ;!!!!! I've been working on this FOREVER and it's finally done! This is my serious Gibari centric fic! YAY. It's really long, so I've broken it down into three parts. This is part one. Enjoy. Also, It takes place in both Baten Kaitos Origins and Baten Kaitos. If Some of the info is off, that's because I haven't gotten past the GODAMNED HOLOHOLO BIRD. FOR CHRIST SAKE. OH MY GOD. THAT THING FREAKING SUCKS. Also also, really likes to mess around with my Paragraphs, and it would take for freaking EVER to go back in fix it or add the fancy line, so just blooming deal. I'm much too tired of editing this fic to do it again 8(_**

**_Disclaimer: If I owned Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins, this may or may not have happened. I haven't made up my mind yet. _**

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My mother was a kind woman, the stern type that wouldn't be afraid to give you a spanking when she thought it was needed, but would always try to cheer you up when your favourite toy broke or you skinned your knee. It had been her that named me Gibari.

It was my tenth birthday, and my parents wanted to teach me how to fish; a good idea for a nice family outing. We took father's boat up to the lesser celestial river, myself bouncing with excitement in the lap of my mother. The trip didn't take very long and we were fishing in no time. I had no idea I would like it as much as I did, my parent's enthusiasm for the art must have worn off on me. We fished until dawn, our two buckets filled with a smaller subspecies of Glubberfish. Pop and I carried the buckets back to the boat as my mother gathered up the rods, hooks and bait. And that's when it happened.

Unbeknown to us, a dangerous man had been watching us from behind a rock to our right. We heard my mother scream and then suddenly stop with a gurgling sound. Pop dropped his bucket and turned around.

"No…" He barely whispered, "Gibari, don't turn around!" He cried, choking ever so slightly. Naturally I couldn't help but look over my shoulder. I dropped my bucket and collapsed to the ground with it. My mother lay choking on the ground; her throat sliced open, her blood pooling around her before running into the river. Her gaze was upon me, her eyes starting at me with a look of pleading. The choking stopped and the light in her eyes dulled. My vision blurred as a foot fell into her blood, blocking my view of her face. I looked up to the owner of the brown boot and met the cold gaze of a man I knew as Richard, a fellow knight of Diadem; a co-worker of my father, if you will. He averted his gaze to my dad, who was trembling with rage.

"You really are a servant of the kingdom, aren't you Rambari." Richard said, spitting my father's name out in an almost acidic tone. Dad blanched.

"How could you…"

"The bastard, stripping ME of MY knighthood because that fucking serving wench…!" Richard yelled.

"Knights do not rape young women! It is our duty to protect them from such dangers, not be a part of them!" Pops interjected. He unsheathed his sword and took up his battle stance. Richard smiled wickedly, and then started to laugh.

"Oh Rambari. I always knew you were a stickler when it came to the codes of the knighthood, no wonder you were the king's favourite." Richard sneered. My father went cold.

"What do you mean…were?" He asked. Richard outright howled with laughter. "What have you done!?" My father yelled. Richard wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"The blood I wear isn't that of your wife, I slit her throat from behind." He smirked. My father cried out as he charged towards the traitor. Richard parried, and then aimed to slash at my father's throat. Dad sidestepped and quickly thrust his sword into Richard's side, slicing in deep and penetrating his lungs. He ripped the sword out, and Richard collapsed to the ground. He looked up towards my father, blood foaming up and out of his mouth. My father repositioned himself in front of Richard.

"His Majesty didn't promote me to Captain of the guard because we were old friends…I pray that you go to where he will never dwell." My father said defiantly as he plunged his sword into that bastard's head. Dad pulled out his sword, and Richard collapsed.

A few minutes later a group of knights showed up and found my father and I hunched over mom; my father softly clutching her hand and myself bawling, the both of us quite stricken with grief. They led us away as they gathered the bodies to take back to Sheliak for the burial preparations.

I held Ladekhan as the pyres with our loved ones burned bright orange in the gloom. We had given them each fare for the ferry to the afterlife; I paying out of my own pocket for mom. Father had insisted that we give Richard a proper burial too; the legends say that a knight who slays a fellow knight must ensure a proper burial for the fallen 'comrade', or his or her ghost will haunt the family of the knight who had slain it. Pops was always so superstitious.

That seemed to be the worst day of my life, and I believed that I would never go through an ordeal that painful ever again. I was wrong.

Ladekhan and I were inseparable from that moment on. My father and I moved into the castle within the month, and soon afterwards pops was training us the ways of combat. We stayed through them the first three years, but during the fourth we started to skip out and sneak off to the dark ends of Elnath. That particular day, Khan rushed off and out of training so that we could watch the daily Glubberfish haul come in. I, of course, followed after him, barely noticing the green haired boy and his two friends standing by the doorway leading into the castle. We ran through Sheliak and didn't stop until we reached the lesser celestial river.

"Gib…I-I don't think we can cross. The river…not safe…to…" Ladekhan said in between breaths. I laughed, equally out of breath.

"True, but it's okay Khan. See that device over there?" I pointed to a machine about two meters ahead of us.

"Yeah." He said. We walked over to it.

"Well, we fishermen use it to jump between the cloud passage and the lesser celestial river when both paths are unstable." I said.

"I see. It allows you to cross at the cloud passage when you can't cross here!" Khan exclaimed.

"Exactly. Now I'll just turn this on…" I cranked the lever downward. Nothing happened. I did it again. Still nothing.

"Are you sure you know how to work that thing?" Khan giggled. I scowled.

"I'll show you…stupid piece of shit, WORK!" I screamed as I jumped up and slammed my feet into it. The machine started to rumble, then shoot out brilliant pink clouds.

"I told you I could get it to work, now come on!" I shouted over my shoulder as I jumped up into the whirling clouds.

We ran quickly through the two passages, until we were almost at Nashira. It was then that I noticed that I had dropped the royal mirror. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Khan?" I said. He turned around.

"What is it Gib?" He asked with a smile on his face. I swallowed hard.

"I…I lost the royal mirror." I mumbled. His smile faded.

"You lost it!?" He yelled. My heart fell.

"I could have sworn I had it right here, maybe I dropped it. We could still turn back and look for it." I said hopefully. Ladekhan stood silent, his gaze lingering on his feet.

"No, it's okay. If we did that, we'd miss the catch." He looked up and smiled at me, his true sorrow only evident in his eyes.

"But…"

"It's okay Gib! Let's get going then." He said, then turned around and started running towards Nashira.

In Nashira we found not fish but Imperial soldiers. Armoured vehicles littered the small hamlet, blocking off all exits. A patrolling officer spotted us.

"Hey, I thought we told you to get inside!" He shouted. Other officers soon ran over and surrounded us.

"You dare to order me around in my country?" Khan spat. The officers laughed.

"Ooh, looks like we've got ourselves a feisty one. We can't be having that, can we?" A female officer said. She backhanded Khan, snapping his head to his left.

"Don't you fucking touch him!" I screamed and charged at her, only to find myself being held back by two soldiers. The imperialists laughed.

"Take them to the ship." Khan's assaulter said with a waving gesture. We were led through the storehouse and into an imperial ship. I immediately dragged Khan onto the bed that occupied the ship.

"Gib! What are you…"

"Are you okay?" I asked, cupping his jaw line and tilting his head gently to the side. A bruise had already begun to form.

"Gib…" he said quietly, a soft blush gracing his cheeks. I was much too worried to notice.

"She must have hit you harder than I realized." I growled. Suddenly the door was swung open and three other prisoners were thrown inside. Khan and I quickly jumped apart, I banging my head in the process.

"Shit!" I grabbed my head.

"Were you beaten!?" someone asked. I shook my head.

"No, I'll be fine." I said, looking up towards the speaker. It was that green haired boy I saw earlier in the castle. He frowned, and then turned to Khan.

"King Ladekhan, my name is Sagi. These two are Milliarde and Guillo." He first pointed to the brown haired girl and then the…puppet I think it was. "We have been sent here by Quastor Verus to discuss the possibility of an alliance in order to stop Bailheit's 'promachination' attempts across the world." Sagi said with an air of formality. Khan held his chin in his hands, a sign that he was thinking carefully.

"I've met the Quastor on several occasions, and I know him to be a caring man who only thinks about the people…all the people, not just the imperial capital…I understand this must be an urgent and pressing issue, but I'm afraid I cannot discuss the Quastor's proposal while my people are in immanent danger." Khan said carefully. Sagi nodded.

"Of course. How do you suggest we get out of here?" He asked. I smiled.

"Why don't we just break down the door? One two three SLAM!" I said enthusiastically. Everyone present practically groaned.

"No Gib, we need to be tactful. If they heard the noise, we'd just end up back where we started." Khan scolded.

"Yeah Gib, you want the whole army to know you've escaped? I thought by now you'd know better." A familiar voice said. A small whirlwind started up in the middle of the room, followed by a cloud of smoke. A young boy of about sixteen with pinkish red hair stood in the middle of us.

"Damn it Palolo, what the hell are you doing here?" I yelled. Palolo shrugged.

"Helping you guys, but if you don't want me to…" He trailed off. Khan smiled at him.

"Palolo! Just the guy I want to see. Can you help us unlock the door?" Khan asked. Palolo nodded.

"I'd do anything for you King Ladekhan, beloved royal flame of Diadem." Palolo said exaggeratedly as he walked over to the door and unlocked it in a matter of seconds. We grouped together after that, Khan having come up with a plan. After explaining it to us, we nodded our agreement. While Khan went over to Sagi to tell him we had this covered, I pulled Palolo into a nearby corner.

"The blonde woman is mine!" I hissed.

"Is she the one who…?" He trailed off, both of us glancing at the now very dark bruise staining our king's right cheek.

"Yeah." I answered. Palolo nodded.

"No problem Gibster." He replied. We joined the others and slipped out of the ship.

Ladekhan's plan worked perfectly, although Palolo did have to hold me back after about the third or fourth punch to the blonde woman's head.

"Gibari! Stop, it's okay." Khan yelled at me. I ceased my attack and brushed Palolo off.

"I'm sorry Khan, but it's just-"

"I know. But please…" He trailed off.

"….I understand. Let's go." I said. We grabbed our magnus and ran out of the store house.

We sleuthed our way to the bar where Anna let us use the secret passage. We all ran as fast as we could down the cloud passage until we were halted by Giacomo.

"Sagi! We meet again." He said. Milliarde stepped up.

"Oh, it's you again. Did you come for another beating?" She asked mockingly. Giacomo fumed.

"I'll have you know I've become much stronger since our last battle, girl." He spat. Sagi shook his head.

"We don't have time for this! Giacomo, please move." He said, surprisingly in a polite manner. Giacomo laughed.

"Oh HELL no Sagi, I won't move until you're on your knees begging for mercy." Giacomo pulled out his weapon. Sagi readied his.

"But…Giacomo!" Sagi pleaded.

"It's no use Sagi, he won't listen." Guillo said in both the voice of a man and a woman. The puppet took up a very strange battle stance. Sagi sighed sadly.

In all my life, I had never seen such a battle as I had witnessed that day. Milliarde wielded two cudgels, which no one would really expect from a sophisticated girl of Alfard, and even more surprising was how graceful she was with them. The puppet wielded such strange archaic magic, and Sagi move with the sword more naturally then any of the knights of Diadem. The battle was one sided for sure, but it wasn't because Giacomo lacked skill with his strange pole arm. Milly and Guillo attacked the guards that accompanied him, a wise decision no doubt; Giacomo probably would have killed the guards himself if they took a shot at Sagi. With them preoccupied, Sagi and Giacomo battled one on one, a dance that would have been beautiful if it weren't for Giacomo's faltering. It all took a matter of seconds, but if you were watching intently, you could find the reason behind the young imperial's faltering. Giacomo backed off.

"Fine, Sagi…you win for now. Fall back!" He called, and rushed off with his guards. Milliarde immediately started to laugh about how weak Giacomo was and started gloating with her two companions. Sagi seemed distressed by the whole ordeal. I thought he was just sad because he didn't like to fight until Palolo leaned over and started whispering in my ear.

"They're in love." He said simply.

"Who, Milly and Sagi?" I asked. Palolo groaned.

"No stupid, Giacomo and Sagi. Didn't you see how they faltered?" he asked.

"I thought Giacomo was just weak…" I said. "I didn't notice anything with Sagi, he was flawless…why would they fight if they love each other like you say?"

"They don't know it yet..." Palolo said, before beginning to chuckle. "Just like two other people I know." He then started outright roaring with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Khan called over. A menacing smirk spread across Palolo's face.

"Nothing." He said simply. I raised an eyebrow.

"Can I really trust what you say about those two?" I asked him. Palolo frowned.

"I'm called the master of mischief for a reason. Keen observation skills come with the job." He turned from me and walked away. Muffled yelling was heard.

"Do you here something?" Sagi asked. Palolo nodded, and then pointed towards the river below us. My father and Lady Celsica were in a large boat riding the rapids.

"King Ladekhan! Gibari! Don't you move, I'm coming to get you!" Father yelled. Khan and I blanched.

"It's uncle Ram!" Khan shouted.

"Oh man, he looks ticked!" I said. Khan turned to Sagi.

"Sagi, I'll meet you back at Elnath. We'll see if we can't discuss the Quastor's proposal there." He said. Sagi nodded as I grabbed Khan's hand and pulled him into a run.

We had no way of knowing pops was going to beat us to the castle, the odds were against him.

"What were you thinking, running off like that?" He started. "And dragging the king with you?" Khan frowned

"I went by my own decision uncle Ram; it was my idea in fact." He said. My father's attention was shifted to him.

"You need to act more like a king, sire! You must remember that every action you take influences the kingdom and the kingdom's image! You need to think about your people." Pops lectured.

"I do think about my people!" Khan shouted. Footsteps were heard behind my father. He turned around to see Sagi, Milliarde and Guillo run in. Sagi was just about to speak when a messenger ran in with a manner of urgency.

"Sir Rambari, the cloud vents have been breeched." He said. Father cursed.

"Sagi, I'm sorry, but the Quastor's proposal will have to wait yet again, I must deal with this urgent matter." Khan stated before turning to my father. Sagi put his hand on Ladekhan's shoulder.

"No, wait. Let me go. We might me able to talk to them." He said. There was a small pause.

"Alright, I'll give you a head start, but I hope you understand that we simply can't sit back while our cloud vents are in danger." Khan said. Sagi nodded and ran off with his companions.

In Sagi's absence dad and Ladekhan barked orders left and right while I did nothing. I felt useless.

"Khan…do you think we've given them enough time?" I asked about 20 minutes after Sagi had left. He nodded.

"I'd say so, we should get going." Khan said. Dad stepped up to us.

"No, it's too dangerous. You two stay here." Father said before running off with Celsica. Ladekhan and I looked at each other.

"We're going, aren't we?" I asked. Khan nodded and ran off to lead the way.

When we arrived, it was already too late. Celsica was already dead, and father was very close to following her.

"Most of the Imperials have already left except Nasca, but sir Rambari should be our first priority!" Sagi screamed when he saw us. The boy I presumed to be Nasca looked up from the device he was sitting on and waved at us, his face blank and unreadable. The few knights that were with us ran quickly over to dad and lifted him carefully. It was too dangerous to treat him at the scene, so we all ran back to Elnath.

He was carried up to the training ground, for my father insisted upon it. We lied him down. Khan and I collapsed beside him.

"Uncle Ram!" Khan cried. Pops looked over to him.

"King…Lade...khan…you must promise me…that you will…t…take good care of…Dia..dem." father struggled to say. I let out a choked sob.

"Pops, don't die!" I said. His attention stayed on Ladekhan.

"Promise…me…" He croaked. Khan nodded.

"I will." He said with determination. Dad turned his head up to face the sky.

"D-dad?" I whispered. I shook him a little. Nothing. I looked up to Ladekhan, who tearfully shook his head. I let out a loud cry before hiding my face in my hands.

We took the time to burn my father in the training grounds before gathering in the throne room. Ladekhan wouldn't come near me.

"Khan…" I started. He looked up to me, an eerie look or determination upon his face.

"Gibari…I hereby relinquish you from your knightly duties and banish you to Nashira." He said.

"W-what? What do you mean Khan?" I gaped.

"Leave Gibari, and don't come back here again. That's an order." He said more forcefully. I couldn't believe it.

"How…why…?" I asked.

"GIBARI!" He yelled at me.

"….fine. FINE! Who needs you anyway!?" I screamed at him before turning around and walking out of the throne room. Once I slammed the door behind me, I full out ran towards Nashira, not stopping once. I ran to my old home that was located by the outskirts of the small fishing hamlet and locked myself inside. The home wasn't occupied by anyone for we still used it occasionally in the past. I flung myself onto my old bed and hid my head under my pillow and just began to sob uncontrollably. My father was dead, along with the one woman I thought could be his wife…and I had just been banished to Nashira by my best friend. And in that moment I realized how much I hated myself, for I wasn't crying because of my father's death, nor Celsica's. I cried because my Ladekhan was no longer within my reach…that he could toss me aside so easily. My heart had never hurt so much before.

I thought that I would get over my loss with time. I had accepted pop's death eventually, but my heart still ached for Ladekhan. I hurt so much that I had stopped eating. On the fourth day of my fast I heard a knock on my door. I didn't answer. The knocking continued. I still didn't answer. A loud gust of wind swirled around my room before revealing Palolo, his arms crossed. I stared up at him before looking away.

"I don't want to talk to you." I said. He ignored me and sat down beside me on my bed.

"I've been told you won't come out of your house…or answer your door." He began. I didn't answer him. "Gibari, have you been eating?" He asked. I looked away from him. He picked up my arm to examine it, but I snatched it away.

"Don't touch me!" I hissed. Palolo slapped me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" He yelled at me. I just looked up at him, stunned. Palolo had never laid a finger on me before then. He continued to scowl.

"…I" I started pathetically.

"You what, want to die? Don't give me that shit." He spat at me. I averted my gaze. He sighed. "You're not moping about your father's death, are you." He stated more than asked. My bottom lip trembled. Palolo pulled out a magnus from his pack and summoned a hot steaming plate of roasted potatoes and a juicy pow steak with asparagus. "Eat first, then we'll talk." He said and handed me a fork. I took it hesitantly, picking up a potato with it. I ate slowly at first, gradually picking up speed until I was devouring the food with little time for breathing. After I finished, Palolo took the magna essence of the dirty dishes and handed me a glass of water. I swallowed it just as fast as I did the food. There was deep silence.

"You miss him." He said to me.

"…yes." I mumbled.

"You're wondering why you hurt just as much as you did the day he kicked you out." Palolo stated. I nodded, my throat knotting up and my vision becoming blurry. "Don't you realize?" He asked me.

"Realize what?" I asked, voice cracking slightly.

"You're in love with him." Palolo said. I jumped up off the bed.

"I'm not!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face.

"You are! Don't lie to yourself!" He yelled back, standing up as well. I stared at him for awhile before turning my back to him.

"Get out."

"No."

"I said get out!" I screamed, spinning around to face him. He slammed me up against the wall and pinned me there. I couldn't fight back in my weakened state.

"You can't deny this!" He spat, his face a mere three inches from my own.

"It's not true." I said.

"It'll destroy you." Palolo hissed.

"But I'm not…"

"You are!" He pressed me harder against the wall. I cried out in pain. He then loosened his grip enough so that even as weak as I was I could escape from him if I wanted to. I looked up at him; his face was grimmer than I had ever seen it. Palolo was right, I was in love with Ladekhan; I just wouldn't admit it. I had been denying it for three years, at least. Realization hitting me harder than Palolo had, I flung myself at him and hid myself in his scarf, sobbing loudly. He placed his arms upon my back and rubbed it in a soothing manner.

"Hush now…it's okay" He said softly. We stood like that for a long while. Then, Palolo gently pulled me off him and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"What do I do?" I asked him. He smiled sadly.

"Wait." He said softly. "It will come with time." He led me to my bed and pushed me gently down upon it. I sighed.

"I…thanks." I said hesitantly. He punched my shoulder lightly.

"No problem Gibster. I couldn't stand to see you like this…will you see the others tomorrow?" He asked. I thought for a bit.

"I guess I better." I answered. He stood up and nodded.

"Good. I'll see you later then." He said, and then disappeared is his usual way.

I slept a bit better that night, and I went out to see the others just like I promised. Everyone had been really worried, especially Anna and Reblys. Eventually I began to eat more frequently and would come out of my house on a regular basis. About three years had passed before the others stopped worrying about my health and happiness. Palolo would visit me about two times a month within that time, checking to see how I was. The next 2 years he gradually started coming less and less.

"So Palolo, what have you been up to that's been keeping you so busy?" I asked him once when we were having lunch in Anna's bar. Palolo coughed, having been in the middle of drinking.

"I…well, it's kinda embarrassing." He mumbled.

"Come on, tell me!" I said. "No one's listening." He hesitated, looked around the pub, and then leaned in close to the center of the table.

"I…met a girl." He whispered.

"What!?" I nearly yelled.

"SHH! You want to hear this or not?" He said, waving his arms up and down in a panic.

"Sorry, I promise to be quiet."

"Anyway, I met her in Sadal Suud when I was tailing Sagi that one time, you remember Sagi, right? Green hair, kinda short, fought that blonde kid-"

"Yeah yeah I remember" I interrupted. He talked so much about the kid at our last visits that I would have sworn he had a crush on the guy if I didn't already know he was into busty, outgoing, fiery tempered women.

"Well, I was going to the inn one day and I just happened to bump into her. She was carrying a large basket of mountain apples and they fell all over the place." He rambled.

"So what did you do?" I asked as he paused to take in a mouthful of roasted potatoes.

"Bl, I whnt du hsk-"

"Dude, swallow your food first." I interjected. He chewed quickly before swallowing.

"Sorry. I went to ask her if she was okay, and she hit me upside the head with her basket!" He said excitedly.

"That…um, well-" I started.

"Then we kinda got into a fight and I ended up picking up her apples, carrying them to the magnus shop where she works and washed them all." Palolo said with a huge grin. I raised an eyebrow.

"It sounds like she hates you." I said. Palolo started laughing.

"Oh well, after I kept popping in all the time she eventually softened up a bit." He paused to cram more food into his mouth. "And she asked me out about a month later, we've been dating ever since!" I swear he almost made the room glow he was so happy. I laughed.

"So, what does miss perfect look like?" I asked out of curiosity. Palolo started to swirl a potato around in some gravy on his plate.

"Well, she's got these gorgeous, big, pale green eyes." He started.

"You've always been a sucker for green eyes." I said.

"She's got short wavy vibrant orange hair."

"Yeah?" I said to let him know I was still listening.

"And she's got a beautiful figure…" he trailed off, a blush lightly staining his cheeks. I laughed, knowing exactly what Palolo meant.

"Big boobs?"

"Hell yes, but that's not why I love her as much as I do." He said with a slight glare.

"I know you're not that shallow Palolo. What makes her so special?" I asked.

"She's just so…energetic and smart, and she doesn't take crap from nobody, you know what I mean?" He finished off his drink.

"Certainly sounds like your dream girl, what's her name?" I said while cutting into my steak.

"Monique." He sighed. I patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm happy for you." I told him. He grinned heartily and raised his mug.

"Cheers mate!" he said loudly before we crashed our glasses together.

That night I couldn't get to sleep. I was incredibly happy for Palolo, but his joy had only reminded me of the festering pain in my heart… not that I had forgotten, I couldn't have.

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**_Kay, I'll go Upload part two now. I hope you like it so far... _**

**_PSST. I LIKE REVIEWS_**


	2. Acceptance

**_Here's part two. Also, I didn't fix the Paragraph format on this one either...and I'm not Going to! 8(_**

**_Same disclaimer applies. Also, there are a few OC in this story, but I'm pretty sure you can figure out who they are. You seem smart enough to me. _**

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Palolo stopped coming altogether for about a year. It would be a lie to say I didn't miss him, but I acted like I couldn't care less. I had formed a friendship with Anna, seeing as I was always in her bar, and had become more acquainted with Reblys. Things seemed bearable for me for what felt like forever…although that's all they were. Bearable. Ladekhan was still on my mind every waking hour of the day, and I dreamt of him every night. Everything reminded me of him. The brilliant blue skies shone like his eyes and the froth of the river reminded me of his pale white hair. It was torture...but bearable. 

Then one day Palolo popped in unexpectedly late one night when I was in the shower. I heard knocking on the bathroom door.

"Who the fuck-?"

"It's me." Palolo called out over the noise of the water beating against me. I turned the water off and quickly wrapped a towel around my waist before opening the door.

"Palolo…I haven't seen you in awhile." I said. He nodded.

"I know, I'm sorry. I've just been so busy with things back in Sadal Suud, you know?" He said, a bright smile plastered on his face. I laughed.

"I know, I know. We should sit down for a bit. Hold on, lemmie get my shorts…" I trailed off, turning to go back into the bathroom. Palolo caught my shoulder.

"I don't have much time…just come into the bedroom with me." He said.

"I…Palolo-" I began, quite shocked by his request.

"No, Gibari. I just want to talk." He said with a laugh. I relaxed a bit and followed him into my bedroom where we sat on the bed. Palolo took in a deep breath.

"Monique and I are getting married." He said, his excitement leaking through his cool façade. I smiled.

"That's awesome, congratulations!" I said. Palolo started bouncing up and down upon the bed.

"Thanks, I'm so happy!" He bounced right off the bed and onto the floor, shooting up to his feet instantly. "I was wondering if you could come to the wedding…would you?" He asked. I thought for a bit.

"Have you…is Khan coming?" I asked, averting my gaze to the floor. Palolo stopped bouncing.

"I…haven't asked him yet…I'm not sure if I should. I want to but…" Palolo trailed off.

"…I see." I said softly. I looked up at Palolo. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to ruin your good mood." I said sadly. Palolo shook his head.

"No, it's okay. We've been thinking a lot about this."

"We?" I asked. He nodded.

"Monique and I. She…knows about your banishment."

"What does she think?" I asked, hoping Monique had some sort of plan. Palolo rubbed his chin.

"Well, she said it was certainly a touchy subject…and that she would love to invite you both." He furrowed his brows. "But she said that probably would be much too awkward…and then called you both a bunch of sulky morons for making her think about such depressing stuff." He laughed nervously. I nodded.

"So what was her conclusion?"

"She said it was up to me." He sighed. "But it's hard."

"I know it must be." I smiled sadly. "You should invite Khan." Palolo turned to me slowly.

"…I knew you'd say that." He paused. "Are you sure that's what you want?" I averted my gaze out the window.

"I…yeah." I started pathetically. "Khan was always on better terms with you anyway." Palolo walked in front of me and placed his back against the window.

"I'm…sor-"

"Don't be." I interrupted. Palolo frowned. "Stop that. You'll upset your fiancé with a face like that." I smiled and watched as Palolo mimicked me.

"You're right about that." He said as he walked over to the middle of the room.

"You're leaving?" I asked. Palolo nodded.

"I need to get back to my fiancé, and you need to put some clothes on before you catch cold." There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "I'll visit again someday."

"I know."

"You'll be alright, won't you?" He said, thoroughly concerned.

"I'll be fine." I lied, flashing him a large grin. He grinned back at me, his excitement seeming to return.

"Catch ya later Gibster!" He called out as the smoke bomb and wind were set off. He was gone. I took off the towel from around my waist and threw it across the room before lying upon the bed and curling up into a ball. Palolo was moving on. I had never felt so alone. Lost. Afraid. I slid quietly under the sheets and buried my head in the pillow, which was both muffling my cries and absorbing my tears. I cried myself to sleep shortly after.

For the next two years I associated myself mainly with Anna and Reblys. I had grown a soft spot for Anna; she was like the younger sister I never had. Unfortunately Reblys got the wrong idea and assumed I was a rival for her love. Our fights almost always ended the same, except the one we had by the bank of the lesser celestial river one night.

"Why is Anna the only woman you hang around?" Reblys asked as we threw stones into the water. I threw my rock hard and hit a large boulder on the other side of the bank, making the stone bounce off it and go into the river.

"I don't know, I guess I never really thought about it." I replied. Reblys closed his eyes and furrowed his brows.

"Well, you're 22 and you still haven't had a girlfriend." He mumbled. I raised an eyebrow, not liking where the conversation was going.

"So?"

"So, it seems like you're waiting for Anna to accept you as a lover." He opened his eyes and shot a glare at me.

"Reblys, how many times do I have to tell you I don't think of Anna like that?" I sighed. Reblys threw another stone into the water with fierce intensity.

"Either you're lying and you're a pedophile…or you're gay." He growled. I dropped the rock that was in my hand.

"I…don't be stupid." I said shakily. Reblys laughed.

"Oh, hit a nerve, did I?" He grinned.

"I…no!" I said, turning my back to him. I could hear Reblys start to roar with laughter before I felt the weight of his hands on my shoulders. He pulled me back and pushed me flat against the jagged rock surface beneath us before spinning around and sitting on my chest.

"You liar." He said, pinning my arms up above me. Him and I were of equal strength, and in the current position, he had the advantage over me.

"Get off!" I cried. Reblys shook his head.

"Not until you tell me what you're hiding." He said smugly.

"Piss off!" I hissed. He scowled and clicked his tongue.

"Don't make me guess, I'm not all that fond of lying on you." He stretched out his leg behind him and curled it around my own. I shuddered.

"I'm not either so get the hell off!" I yelled. Reblys dug the knee of his other leg into my hip. I sucked in a sharp breath or air.

"I've noticed how you don't look at them, the women, I mean." He leant in and whispered. "So you have to be one of the given choices." He said, his hot breath tickling my ear. I turned my head away from him. He leaned forward, digging his knee harder into my thigh, grabbed my jaw and forced me to face him. He dug his elbow into the arm he had let go the moment before, making sure I was completely immobilized. I leant back and closed my eyes before crying out in pain. Reblys rubbed my inner thigh with his extended leg in a sick mockery of lust. I let my eyes flutter before I opened them into a glare.

"You're only two years younger than me." I said. He put more weight on me.

"You're seven years older than her. Five is an acceptable difference!" He hissed. I scoffed.

"Whatever…" I mumbled. Reblys continued rubbing his leg against mine.

"You saying you don't care about her that way?" He asked.

"I already told you, I'm not into her!" I growled. Reblys smirked.

"So, by process of elimination you're totally into…this." Reblys pressed his leg against my manhood and slowly started moving it.

"S-stOp!" I cried out as I tried to squirm away, only to find out I was making the situation worse as a moan escaped my lips. Reblys leaned in closer to my ear.

"Seems I was over analyzing this whole Anna thing…" He said with a heavy, husky voice. He shifted his weight, the process causing several of the jagged rocks underneath me to puncture through my skin.

"STOP!" I cried out again, my voice begging and weak. Reblys snorted.

"How pathetic. Can't take a little pressure?" He let go of my face and let me turn my head to the side. "At least tell me who fucked who." He laughed softly as he licked my ear. A chill ran down my spine.

"What?" I asked timidly.

"Do you even know how gay sex works?" He teased. I tensed up.

"What a ridiculous question…"

"Answer it…" Reblys ground into me. "…or I'm not stopping." He continued his movements. I bit my lip hard and ended up drawing blood.

"S…stop!" I cried.

"Answer it!" His movements gained a rhythm.

"I…YES!" I screamed in desperation. I felt like I was going to burst any minute.

"Where did you learn?" Reblys asked.

"Ah…book…stop!" I gasped.

"You're still a virgin?"

"St…Ah!" I closed my eyes and tried told on.

"Tell me!" He dug into me with his whole body. I let out a loud moan as I lost control, came and collapsed. Reblys loosened his hold on me.

"D-did I just…" He whispered. I felt him grow stiff before pulling himself up off me slowly. I gradually opened my eyes. He was on his knees beside me, rubbing his hands up his legs; a sign he was worried. "Gibari I-"

"No." I said as I slowly rose to a seating position. "We'll forget this ever happened." I said sternly. Reblys turned away in shame.

"I don't know what came over me." He mumbled to the river. I struggled to my feet.

"Don't worry about it, these kinda things happen to everyone." I said calmly, grimacing at the sticky mess upon my shorts.

"No, it doesn't." Reblys spat. I took off my sandals and waded into the water, the river being calm enough to do so.

"Whatever, I just mean that people do stupid things from time to time." I walked in so that the water was up to my waist. "I'm gonna need new pants…"

"I have no excuse." He said. I looked up towards him.

"Stop sulking, I understand." I shook a finger at him. Reblys raised an eyebrow.

"You're sure this doesn't bother you?" He asked.

"Eh. It's cool, just don't do it again." I waded out of the water and grabbed my sandals. "Come on, It's getting late. Get home." I waved as I walked off.

The next day was just as bad for me, for Reblys and I had to explain to Anna how I had gotten the deep gashes on my back, as well as the greenish black bruises on my waist and arm.

"Well, we uh…got into another fight." Reblys begain.

"On the river bank…" I supplied.

"So, um…yeah." The man next to me finished lamely. Anna shook her head.

"Don't you two ever think? The riverbank is pure rock, you could have cracked your head open and died!" She scolded. We both looked away in shame.

"We're sorry." Reblys said. Anna crossed her arms.

"You better be. Don't do something like that again!" She turned her back on us and stalked back to the pub's kitchen. Reblys laughed nervously before running off to help unload the day's catch.

Three months later Palolo showed up at happy hour in Anna's bar.

"Oi!" He called out to me from the entrance. I waved to him.

"Hey, Palolo! What do you have there?" I asked as he walked over and sat down at the table Reblys and I sat. He passed me a photograph.

"It's my son." He said proudly. "He was born last month." The picture was that of a baby boy, with little wisps of bright red hair, his bright green eyes shining happily.

"I didn't know you had a son, Heck, I didn't even know you were married!" Reblys said, snatching the picture away from me. Palolo nodded and pulled out another photo.

"This is my wife, Monique." He said, passing the picture to him. I looked Reblys' shoulder.

"Wow, she really is just as beautiful as you said she was." I said. "Your son's adorable too." Reblys handed the photos back to the proud father.

"Thanks guys." He said, before looking over to the clock. "Oh gees, I gotta get back." Reblys and I frowned.

"You just got here." I stated. Palolo laughed.

"I know, but things at the shop are getting pretty busy, and I hate leaving Monique alone with both Palolo III and the shop to take care of." Reblys nodded.

"We understand." I said, pausing slightly. "You won't be coming back, will you?" Palolo shrugged.

"Who knows? I might not get around to it, but by all means feel free to visit me and the family at the shop; you'd both be more than welcome." He stood up and waved before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. I shook my head.

"I've never been able to figure out how he does that…" I trailed off to take a sip of my beer. Reblys laughed.

"Cute kid." He said before flagging Anna down for another drink.

Five years later life was beginning to become hard for me again, for with Palolo gone I had no one to remind me to hide my pain from the world. My mask was crumbling, but no one seemed to notice. It was as if they all had forgotten how much it pained me to talk about Ladekhan. A buzz had started up about the young king and how he was the most loyal, caring, etcetera king the Land of Diadem has ever been blessed with. Palolo's old nickname for him, 'the white flame of Diadem', had been adopted by the whole population. He seemed to be the star of every conversation; each time his name was mentioned, the old wounds in my heart would begin to reopen. It came to the point where I had to shut myself up in my house just to get away from his name. Ladekhan. Ladekhan Ladekhan Ladekhan! Every fucking hour of the day, every sleepless night he was in my mind.

It had been about four months before someone noticed I would only leave my home to go to work with the fishermen and buy groceries.

"Gibari…" A soft voice echoed from outside my bathroom door.

"Palolo, is that you again?" I called over the sound of running water, the odd feeling of déjà vu haunting me. "I'm not really in the mood for pleasantries right now…" I heard the door open.

"Gibari…" The voice repeated. I stiffened.

"Reblys?" I asked nervously. The curtain was pulled back, revealing myself to the white haired fisherman.

"Where have you been?" He asked. I stepped back, startled.

"What?"

"You're never around the bar anymore…" he glanced over at the corner.

"…you noticed…" I said quietly. Reblys stepped into the shower.

"I'm surprised nobody else has, it's been a long time since you've stopped by to see us."

"I've been busy." I said softly. Reblys shook his head, droplets of water splashing about.

"No, you've been sulking." His eyebrows met in a frown. "I thought you got over this whole Ladekhan thing thirteen years ago."

"W-what?" I asked with astonishment.

"Don't play innocent; I know that it bothers you." He said sternly. I looked away in shame.

"You're mistaken." I mumbled. Reblys tilted my head to face him.

"I'm not." He took a step closer. "What is it going to take to get you to let go?"

"I can't." I said sternly.

"You must." Reblys ran his fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes. "You've let all of this tension build up for years, you need release." He guided me to the shower floor, where we sat in silence for a bit.

"What do you think I should do?" I asked.

"Well, first you need to stop showering in ice water." Reblys leaned over and turned the taps until the water became a little too warm. I laughed.

"Sorry, it's an old habit from when I was training back at the castle, makes you tough, you know?" Reblys chuckled.

"See? You hold on to too much. Now you want to do something about this then?" He asked. I nodded. There was silence.

"I don't know what to do…" I mumbled. Reblys took off his vest and threw it on the floor outside the bathtub, then drew the curtains closed again.

"I know he was your best friend…but maybe you need to find something to transfer your love for him on…maybe a pet greythorne or a bunnycat. It would keep your mind off him." He suggested. I snorted.

"You don't know what you're saying." I said. Reblys raised an eyebrow.

"You asked for my help, don't toss my ideas aside so easily." He sulked. I ran my hand through my hair. "Maybe you need something to take it all out on…" Reblys pondered. I looked up and took in his body. He was the same age as Khan, muscular, had the same shade of hair…maybe I needed to indulge myself, let loose my pent up passion and give in to lust.

"Reblys..." I whispered.

"Yeah?" He asked. I pushed him down flat on his back and sat on his abdomen.

"This seems familiar, doesn't it?" I teased. Reblys' eyes widened.

"Gib…"

"Don't call me that!" I hissed as I bent in and ravished his mouth. Reblys squeaked his displeasure and squirmed underneath me. I pulled away and applied more pressure to his shoulders.

"You're hurting me." He said, fear in his eyes. "Stop…"

"I can't, not now." I growled. Everything was gushing out and I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I was pissed and tense and I needed someone to make me stop hurting, if just for a moment. I needed to feel something new. "Lose the pants." I ordered. Reblys obeyed and tugged them off slowly, the wet garment clinging to his skin. They eventually got slipped off and tossed out of the way and onto the bathroom floor. I ran my hand through his hair, pulling out his hair tie and letting his white hair fall loose and cling to his jawline.

"Please…" He begged softly. I laced my fingers in his hair and tilted his head back.

"This is your own fault…" I breathed softy. I nipped at his neck. "…for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." I slid back and raised myself into an upright sitting position, straddling his waist. He lay there underneath me, the hot water pounding on his bare chest and stomach, beading up and dripping down his tan skin. Reblys closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. I reached over to the side of the bathtub and grabbed the bottle of body lotion. I squeezed a bunch into my hand and dipped my finger into it.

"What are you doing?" My prey asked. A baleful smile spread across my face.

"Close your eyes and relax." I said soothingly. He cried out as I shoved my finger inside him. "Relax, it won't hurt for long." I forced in two more fingers. Reblys closed his eyes and twisted his face away from me. I removed my fingers and slowly pushed myself inside him. Reblys took in a sharp breath. I didn't move, wouldn't move. I had the sudden urge to make him beg, punish him. He began to squirm beneath me. I dug my nails into his hips.

"M-move." He said. I ignored him. He became impatient and began to writhe with more vigour. "Please…." he begged. I dug my nails in harder to try and keep him still.

"Please what?" I asked with mock innocence.

"Fuck me…" He whimpered.

"What was that?" I couldn't hide my sick pleasure as I asked him to beg.

"Fuck me!" He cried out, tears streaming down his face. I licked my lips and started to pull out slowly before thrusting back into him. I started slowly at first, before gradually picking up speed. Reblys arched upward in an attempt to press himself closer to me, despite not wanting me inside him. I pushed him down hard and thrust in deeper, forcing myself all the way in before pulling out again. I dug my fingers into his waist; bruises already starting to form from the pressure. He let out a moan of both pleasure and pain, as if uncertain of what he wanted; to make it stop or to beg for more. I thrust harder, slowing down slightly for I felt myself nearing my climax. Reblys let out a loud sob, indicating he had reached his peak. I soon followed, coming messily inside him. We collapsed together, and lay still, letting the overwhelming sensation of pleasure engulf us. The water continued to drum on our bodies, washing away all evidence of what we had just done.

"I hate you." Reblys moaned from beneath me.

"You still hard?" I asked.

"Yes." He snarled. I pulled out from him slowly, hissing slightly from how tender I felt. I sat upright and pulled him into my lap, his back against my chest. I lowered my hand and started to stroke him.

"Stop!" he cried out, grabbing my hand. "I let you rape me; isn't that enough?" He asked desperately. I removed my hand from his grasp.

"Shut up." I barked. I slid my arms on top of both of his, pressing them tightly to his side. I then reached downward and started to stroke him again.

"Stop, please!" He begged and tried to struggle, but found himself immobilized. He began to cry and sob uncontrollably as he gave up and leaned up against me in an attempt to relax. Soon enough he was whimpering as his ache grew stronger, demanding more attention. I pumped him faster and harder, loving the way he writhed into my touch; how easy it was to make him moan and cry out for more. He drove his body painfully into me as he released all over my hand. He collapsed into my arms, thoroughly exhausted. I let the water wash his semen off me and watched it swirl down the drain. I felt Reblys become heavy, his breathing falling into a pattern. I leaned up slowly towards the taps and turned them off before lowering myself onto the floor and falling asleep myself.

A few hours later I woke up to find myself cold, naked and alone. Reblys had long since gone it seemed, and I was probably too exhausted to notice. It didn't much matter though, for I doubt I could have faced him after what I had just done.

Reblys and I didn't talk much after that, and I fell back into a deep depression. Not because of him, mind you, but because what I did to him didn't relieve me of any of my feelings for Khan…if anything they were intensified. Ladekhan was unreachable, and my encounter with Reblys had pointed that out to me.

Another five years had passed before anything of incident occurred again, and that incident's name was Lyude.

The young redhead had come early in the morning bearing the title of "Ambassador", quite a title to have at the tender age of sixteen. He first came to Nashira about two days after his arrival here in Diadem, or that's what he told us. I believed him, but a few of the others were sceptical about the boy.

"I don't trust those imperials." A man said one night at the bar. The woman to his right nodded.

"They're trying to take our kingdom again." She replied. Scattered agreements were heard throughout the bar. The front door creaked open and all fell silent as Lyude walked in. He walked in timidly.

"Um, hi." He mumbled. Someone scoffed.

"What the hell do you want imperial snob?" A young man by the name of Stewart asked.

"I…I'm just, um…" The ambassador started.

"Get lost, you're not welcome here." Stewart interrupted. Lyude looked down, shamefaced.

"I see…sorry to disturb you." He said quietly as he turned around and walked out the door.

"Repugnant bastard…" I heard someone mumble. I shook my head before leaving the bar myself.

I found the boy sitting on one of our abandoned docks; one that was rotted out and mostly submerged. He was running his hand slowly through the water, sometimes letting his hand go limp and let the river play with it. I walked up behind him.

"Hey." I said simply. Lyude jolted up and spun around to face me, but lost his balance and fell backwards. I quickly grabbed his arm and he jerked to the side as gravity tried to defy my rescuing efforts. A quick tug landed the redhead in my arms, his eyes wide and his expression one of confusion. He quickly pushed himself off me, but I grabbed his arm again when he tried to run away.

"Ambassador, please." I said. "I don't intend to harm or ridicule you." I loosened my grip. He lowered his arm.

"Thank you." He said quietly, his gaze turning back towards the fast moving river.

"You're pretty stressed out, aren't you kid?" I asked. The redhead scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I…I suppose so." He sighed. "I'm just having a little trouble fitting in." I nodded.

"I can see that. I guess some of us still hold a grudge against the empire." Lyude looked away, biting his lip slightly. I put my hand on his shoulder. "Just give it some time, I'm sure the people will warm up to you soon enough." I patted him on the back before leading him along the riverbank.

Eventually people saw that Lyude was as much as a threat to Diadem as Mrs. Godfrey's bunnycats were, if not less. He had such low self esteem, and would feel terrible for weeks if he forgot to do something you asked of him as a joke.

Despite all this, no one really got close to him. He had some sort of… untouchable quality, like some sort of layer that none of us could break. He always held a bit of sorrow in his voice, and it always hurt me to hear it surface.

I decided to cheer the boy up as best as I could, but it proved to be difficult. Lyude was always eager to explore Nashira and its cultures, but only as an observer; it was as if he denied himself to partake in our actions. It truly appeared as if he could not be reached.

For the longest time I couldn't figure out as to why this bothered me so much. I had never seen someone in so much pain, no one except…me. But…no. He wasn't brooding like I was. I admit I was a tad irritated when I drew the conclusion at first, but it was true. I had been brooding for eighteen years, and it was pathetic.

I started to act like my old self, acting like there wasn't a care in the world. People were shocked at first, but eventually accepted it. Lyude drifted away.

Two years later when I was returning from a failed attempt of running two people named Kalas and Xelha to Sheliak, I noticed that something was wrong; the big hint being the barricade the imperial army had set up along the hamlet's exits. We got off of my boat as an imperial officer came running to me.

"Get inside and don't try anything funny." He said, his gun pointing at my chest. I raised my hands over my head and started to walk past him to the pub.

"Alright, you don't have to tell me twice, god." I cursed as he shoved us into the bar. Looking around I saw that most of the villagers had been shoved in here as well.

"Oh my, it seems the Imperial army has already made its move." Xelha sighed. Kalas jabbed his finger in my chest.

"You. Fix it. Now." He growled. I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah okay sure." I said. I turned my head over to the bar.

"Hey Anna, have they found…it yet?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No, I take it you're going to Sheliak then?" She asked. I let my head droop.

"…Yeah…I've got to take these two there." I jabbed my thumb in the direction of the bluenette and his friend. I waved them over to me and bid them follow me into the secret passage that led to the cloud passage. Upon arriving there, Xelha's eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Oh wow! These clouds are so beautiful!" She sighed. Kalas crossed his arms and blushed slightly.

"Yeah, they are pretty." He mumbled. I laughed inwardly; they should have seen it back when Khan and I used to…Khan. I forgot. We were going to Sheliak to see Ladekhan. I shook my head vigorously to take my mind off of him and direct it back to the task at hand.

"Come on, this way." I motioned them to follow me and went on ahead.

When we reached the bridge we heard a large sort of steam-on-metal sound.

"What the…?" Kalas asked, drawing his blade. I drew my paddle and Xelha pulled out her rod.

"An imperial beetle!" She cried as soon as the tank moved in. It brought up its cannons with a loud click and fired two shots. We all dodged in separate directions, Kalas to the left, I to the right and Xelha into the air. Xelha Cast several water and light attacks from her position up above and finished by throwing her greythorne companion into the air, who was engulfed in a bright light that triggered light to descend upon the enemy. After my eyes adjusted I rushed in with Kalas and attacked the thing with brute force. Surprisingly the thing collapsed in a matter of seconds; malfunctioning and causing itself to catch fire. I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

"Those aren't so tough." I said, slightly annoyed with the waste of time. Kalas laughed.

"Superior imperial technology my ass!" He jeered as he sent the magna essence of his sword and dagger back into their proper magnus.

"Come on, we need to find King Ladekhan." Xelha called to us; for she had run ahead. Kalas and I quickly followed after her.

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**_I'll go Upload part three! Review are welcome _**


	3. Passion

**_AHAHAHAHAHA, Several people pointed out the horrible HORRIBLE gramatical error in this chapter, and I decided to fix it finally. Oh gods, Should have done it so much earlier. _**

**_Anyway, this is the final chapter to "repression"_**

**_Disclamer: No, I don't own these characters or their world. They, however, own my soul 0o_**

* * *

Arriving at Sheliak was terrifying for me. I hadn't set foot there for over 20 years. Stepping on the cobblestone was like stepping on my heart, for it brought back memories from my childhood; memories of Khan. 

"The way's blocked." Kalas pointed out to me, snapping me out of my disillusioned state. The path to castle Elnath had been barricaded and was being guarded by imperial soldiers. Kalas sighed.

"Okay, now what?" He asked. Xelha began to look around. Her eyes lit up at the sight of an imperial air pod.

"We're borrowing that." She said, pointing to it. My brow creased.

"I suppose it's our only option." I said, scratching the back of my head. "So…steal it when their not looking?"

"Yup!" Xelha squeaked nervously. We waited until the guard had turned his back to the air pod.

"Go!" Kalas hoarsely and grabbed Xelha by the forearm. We ran quickly and jumped into the pod. Xelha worked the controls with surprising ease and lifted us into the air. The guard noticed the low humming noise the thing protruded and spun around.

"Oi!" He called out to us. Kalas laughed.

"Don't worry, we'll give it back!" He waved to the imperial soldier below. Xelha quickly steered the machine to the air dock up in the castle and parked it.

"Let's go, I'm pretty sure I heard gunshots." She said, clambering out of the pod and landing face first on the stone dock. Kalas jumped out quickly and helped her up. She brushed off her pants and ran off into castle Elnath.

It was just as Xelha has suspected; imperial foot solders had breached the front entrance and were now terrorising the lower levels of the castle. We avoided the battles as best we could, but found ourselves in quite a lot of them. One of the knights in the castle recognized me.

"Gibari!" He called out to me. "Gibari, thank the gods you're here, King Ladekhan is at the south door trying to negotiate with-"

"What!?" I interrupted. "That fool!" I immediately went off running down the stairs and towards the south gate. I made it to the balcony that hung just above it and looked down.

"Why have you invaded my country?" A voice called out, one I immediately knew was Ladekhan's. It was soft and smooth, like a rich cream or foam, yet it still held a large amount of significance. I saw the back of him; dress in the royal blues and yellows of our nation, although now his cream white hair fell down to his mid-back. Xelha and Kalas halted beside me.

"Our…inside forces have informed us of your plans of attack against Alfard. We will not let a barbarian such as you go endanger our people." An imperial captain answered. Several guns were pointed at our King.

"Surely you must have been misinformed. I have made no actions that could be interpreted as an attack upon the imperial nation of Alfard!" Ladekhan sighed. "I'm sure we can negotiate this and clear the misconception." The captain scowled.

"Step towards us, slowly." He commanded. Ladekhan took a step forward. A knight grabbed his shoulder.

"Your highness, it's too dangerous!" He said. I saw someone on the imperial side tense up. It was Lyude, who looked more distraught then the knight holding Khan's shoulder. Ladekhan gently removed the elder knight's hand from where it sat.

"I know, but I have to comply…there isn't much else we can do." He said sadly. The Knight nodded hesitantly.

"Lay down your weapon." Their captain ordered. Ladekhan placed his sword upon the ground and started towards the imperialists slowly; his hands above his head so that all could see he was unarmed.

"Ayme!" The captain called out. A black woman with a long pink braid stepped out from behind the man. She aimed one of her two guns and shot Khan in the left shoulder. Lyude screamed.

"What are you doing!? He did just what you asked; there's no reason to attack!" He yelled at his captain. The man turned towards the redhead.

"I'd be quiet if I were you, you filthy traitor." He said with an air of superiority. Lyude flinched. Ayme shot at Ladekhan again, this time hitting him in the right part of his hip.

"You're missing his vitals on purpose!" The captain growled. Ayme smirked.

"I'm just having a bit of fun. Now, where does his highness wish to be shot next…" Ayme stroked her chin in thought. Lyude gasped, then ran forward and jumped over the barricade. He stepped in front of Ladekhan; putting himself in-between the king and the solider.

"I cannot allow this to go on any longer." He stated defiantly. The captain began to shake with anger.

"How DARE you betray us twice. You're a disgusting excuse of a human being and you sully the imperial name!" He screamed at the boy. Lyude scowled.

"So be it." He readied his gun.

I had recovered from my shock at this point and summoned my wings.

"Come on!" I shouted at Kalas. We jumped off the balcony and stood beside Lyude. The captain turned towards Ayme.

"Now's a good time to test out the new imperial beetle, don't you think?" He asked. Ayme laughed.

"Aye aye sir." She said, and then jumped off the bridge and into the sky below. A roaring sound started up beneath the bridge.

"What the hell is that?" I asked as a huge mechanical device floated up from the side of the bridge Ayme had previously jumped off. Lyude gaped.

"The imperial beetle version five! I didn't know they were planning to use it against diadem!" Lyude staggered slightly as the thing crashed down upon the bridge.  
"Do you like my new toy boys?" Ayme's voice rang out through the machine's speaker, crackling slightly. "I've been waiting to test it out!" She began to laugh. I turned towards Xelha, who was crouched down beside Ladekhan.

"Get him inside!" I screamed. Kalas body checked me and we both collapsed onto the ground, the imperial beetle's drill barely three feet away from us. Lyude was firing shots at the machina at a rapid succession. He barely summoned a shield of defence as Ayme shot the laser cannons at him. His right shoulder was grazed, but he managed to ignore it as he reloaded his gun and shot at the beetle again. The Knights of Diadem followed Xelha into the castle, seeing as they'd just be in the way.

"Lyude, what the hell do we attack? The things made of fucking metal!" Kalas screamed angrily as he swung at the rod one of the drills was attached to. The drill started to twirl and aimed towards Kalas. He seemed to be expecting this for he had already activated his shield Magnus. He cried out in pain as the drill caused painful vibrations to course through his arms. I ran underneath the machina and drove my paddle up into it, causing one of the 'pipes' to dent.

"Gibari, get out from under there, I have an idea!" Lyude shouted. I ran out from my place underneath the beetle and took a place beside Kalas. Giving the beetle a wide berth, Lyude ran around the thing in a giant circle in what looked to be an attempt to get behind it.

"Distract her!" He called out to us as he neared the thing's back. Kalas and I rushed forward and jumped up on top of the beetle.

"What are you doing?!" Ayme screamed over the speakers. We began to beat the top of the machina, causing it to dent slightly. "Stop it!" Ayme tried to get the duel drills to reach us, but the drills were secured to the beetle in such a way that it was impossible for them to shift backward. Lyude was now behind the imperial beetle, and charging up his next shot. The tip of his sonic rifle began to glow pink.

"Get ready!" He screamed as his gun let loose a bright pink beam surrounded be angel feathers. The beam obviously hit the mark, for the back part exploded. Kalas and I were thrown from the beetle and landed painfully upon the hard stone bridge. Parts of the beetle flew in every direction. The majority of the beetle was hanging dangerously over the edge of the bridge, teetering dangerously. Ayme opened the hatch on the top and tried climbing out, but the shift in weight caused the beetle to slip over the edge. Ayme activated the rockets on her boots and propelled herself into the air as her battered beetle descended into the direction of the taintclouds. The captain took a step back.

"Impossible! That was our strongest model." He waved his hand towards the Sheliak docks. "Everyone fall back!" Ayme landed on the bridge and started to run away with them to the docks. Lyude ran over to where Kalas and I were.

"Are you guy's okay?" I stood up. "I didn't know what else to do to destroy it! I'm sorry, this is all my fault." I raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? You just saved Diadem." I said reassuringly. Lyude blushed.

"But the damage…"

"The bridge would have been damaged either way." Kalas spat and he struggled to his feet. He brushed off some of the debris that was on his pants. "Tell us when you plan to blow us up next time, alright?" Lyude bit his lip.

"Sorry…" He said; his eyes downcast. I scowled and ran quickly into castle Elnath. Lyude and Kalas followed.

We were lead to a room on the second level of the castle by one of the messenger girls. I opened the door quickly and rushed in. I hesitated as Ladekhan turned his ice blue eyes upon me.

"Gibari…" He said, clearly astonished. I smiled weakly.

"It's been awhile." I offered.

"…yeah." He mumbled sadly, shifting slightly in his bed. I let my gaze focus on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'll be alright…" He trailed off, his gaze shifting towards the bed sheets. He started to fidget with them.

"They look and feel much worse than they actually are, right?" Lyude asked the doctor, giving both of us something to distract us from the tense situation. The doctor nodded.

"I take it you would know ambassador, seeing as you wield similar technology." The old doctor said accusingly. Lyude cringed, pulling himself closer together.

"I suppose so…" the redhead mumbled. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"King Ladekhan, I hate to ask you this in your current state, but do you know of the end magnus?" Xelha asked. "I believe it the reason the empire attacked you; they're after them." Ladekhan sighed.

"Yes, I do know of them."

"Could you tell us where it is? We need to get to it before the empire does." Xelha kneeled down beside Khan's bed.

"Yes, it's located in the shrine of the winds." Ladekhan said.

"Where is that?" Kalas asked from his place against the wall, taking a sudden interest in the conversation.

"The only way to get there is through the throne room. Gibari can show you the way." The king said, staring at the bed sheets. I nodded.

"Alright. Let's go."

We went quickly to the shrine, having no time to waste.

"This looks like the place…" Kalas said, glancing about. Xelha's pendant began to glow.

"It sure is!" She said as the pendant shot forth a beam of light. As it dissipated, the winds started to pick up. Lyude and Xelha were blown over.

"What's happening?!" I yelled over the sound of the wind.

"The guardian is coming!" Kalas said; cursing as the wind blew his cape into his face. A large humanoid beast materialized in front of us, flapping its huge wings.

"Prove your worth child, and I will bestow onto you Malpercio's gift." It said; voice deep and menacing. It lunged towards Xelha who was still staggering to her feet. Kalas pushed her out of the way just in time to have the creature crash into him instead.

"Kalas!" She screamed. The two crashed into the cave wall, knocking the wind out of the bluenette. Xelha cast several chronus spells along with her dance of light while the creature was down. It got to its feet and staggered into the air. Lyude shot at it as I rushed the creature, knocking it onto the wall again. I used crystal shot while it was still down, but it managed to evade. It created a wind cage over Kalas, who was still trying to recover from the first attack. He started to gasp and wheeze. He fell to his knees, grasping at his throat.

"The cage is using his air supply to sustain itself!" Lyude called out, clearly terrified. Xelha looked over and screamed. Lyude had already run over to the cage and tried to pound on it with his fists, only to find out the wind cut effortlessly through flesh. The guardian of the shrine turned its attention towards me; summoning a ball of wind into its hand and hurled it at me. It was too quick to dodge and I took it full in the arm while attempting to do so. The guardian turned towards the others in my party and advanced towards them. I attacked it from behind, but it had engulfed itself in a shield of wind. I attempted to run around it, but found that it has pressurized the air in a line; sealing me off from the others. Kalas' eyes were listless and tears were streaming down his eyes as he watched Lyude continue to beat on the shield. Xelha stood there in shock.

"Xelha, attack it with chronus magic! It might neutralize the shield's effect!" Lyude screamed, his voice distorted by the barrier that separated us. He noticed the guardian approaching and turned his attention towards it. He fired at it in rapid succession, not missing once. Xelha shook herself out of her shock and attacked the shield with what I recognised as her strongest chronus attack, causing it to negate. Kalas gasped and fell onto his forearms, panting heavily. The guardian began to falter, and with it the barrier that had sectioned me off. I pushed through it, the pressure causing my ears to pop, and fell upon the ground on the other side. Lyude began to reload his gun but was attacked with wind's blow. The attack knocked his rifle out of his bloody hands. Lyude cried out as the beast imprisoned him within its cage of wind. Xelha went to cast a spell but was interrupted by the guardian punching her in the stomach.

"It's on to us!" I called out to Kalas. "I don't have chronus attacks! Do you?" Kalas went wide eyed, shaking his head. I growled. "Then our only option is to kill it fast!" Kalas nodded and we both rushed the guardian from behind, who was too busy wailing on Xelha to notice us. I tackled it off of Xelha, rolling around until I was sitting on top of it. I smashed my paddle down onto its stomach, causing it to gasp. Kalas came running towards us and kicked the guardian's head. I expected to hear the creature's neck snap, but was surprised to find that the thing's head didn't move at all. Kalas screamed as he trusted his sword into its head. It went through, the wound spurting blood all over me. The guardian went limp underneath me, and I heard a loud gasping sound behind me. Xelha, Kalas and I rushed over to Lyude, who was huffing slightly.

"You okay?" Xelha asked. Lyude nodded and was helped to his feet by Kalas. The guardian disintegrated; a shining magnus taking its place.

"Is that the end magnus?" I asked.

"Yes." Xelha nodded. Lyude pushed Kalas away from him.

"Hey what the...Lyude, what happened to your eyes?!" Kalas shouted. Lyude walked past Xelha and I, letting us both catch a glimpse of what had startled Kalas. Lyude's eyes had turned cerulean blue. Lyude reached out and plucked the magnus from the air. He then threw it into the air and into a waiting pair of hands.

"Thanks you piece of trash. You really have a thing for betrayal, don't you?" Ayme teased.

"Ayme, don't you fucking dare!" Kalas growled.

"Hey, it's your fault for trusting a traitor." She hissed back at him. Ayme used her rocket boots to propel herself out of the hole in the top of the cave. "Hope you like surprises!" She screamed.

"What the hell does that mean?!" Kalas yelled, spreading out his wings so that he could follow her. A small object was throne in from the gap above and as it hit the floor we were all engulfed in smoke. We were all overcome with fits of coughing until the smoke cleared. Lyude collapsed.

"My guess would have to be hypnosis." The doctor said, lowering his flashlight from Lyude's eye. "The imperials probably injected you with something when you were with them earlier. Do you remember getting injected, or possibly experiencing a sharp, sudden pain?" He asked the redhead. Lyude placed his head in his bandaged hands.

"No…" he mumbled. Ladekhan put a hand on his shoulder.

"We know you didn't do it of your own volition. It's not your fault." He said comfortingly. Lyude sniffed.

"I-I'd like to be left alone, if that's alright." The redhead murmured. Khan nodded.

"I understand. Please get some rest." The king turned around nodded to us. We all left the room, the doctor shutting the door quietly behind him.

"I've done all I can for him…but I can't heal souls." He said sadly. Ladekhan smiled gently.

"Thank you kindly doctor, you've worked very hard today. You should get some rest yourself."

"Thank you, your highness." The doctor bowed, and then turned and walked off down the hallway. A young maid passed him and stopped in front of the king, bowing deeply.

"Vace will show you all to your rooms. Thank you for your courageous efforts today." Khan said, gesturing towards the elder woman.

"Please come with me." Vace asked, turning towards the stairs. We followed, I bringing up the rear; hesitating slightly as I felt Khan's gaze on my back.

I heard a knock on my door. I got up off the bed and walked over to open it.

"Hello?" I asked the young boy. He bowed deeply.

"The king has requested your presence in his chambers." He stated. I stared at him in disbelief.

"He's…are you sure?" I asked. The boy nodded.

"He thought you might respond this way, so he wrote you this." I was handed an envelope. I opened it and read this on a note inside:

_Please Gib, I __need__ to speak with you_.

I stared at the sentence before me, before placing it back into the envelope and setting it on the small table near the door.

"Alright." I said quietly, letting the boy turn around to lead me. We ascended the stairs, walking at a slow pace. My heart hammered harder in my chest with each step I took. I stopped paying attention at my surroundings, and before I realized it, I was standing before the door to Ladekhan's chambers. The boy opened the door.

"He's here your Highness." He said. The room was shroud in darkness, the only light being that of the moon.

"Thank you Joshua, you may be dismissed for the night." He told the boy.

"Have a pleasant evening." The boy bowed before closing the door and walking down the hallway. The tension in the room escalated once the page's footsteps faded off. I took a few steps closer to Khan, who was leaning against the large windowsill staring up at the moon.

"Gibari…" He began, turning to face me. He had removed his regular outfit and was now wearing nothing but loose fitting pyjama pants. His body was lightly muscled; his skin a pale milky white in the moonlight. He took a step closer to me.

"Khan…" I trailed off, my heart throbbing.

"Do you hate me?" He asked quietly.

"No…I could never!" I said quickly, voice laden with anxiety. Ladekhan held his arms close to his bare chest.

"I…I'm so sorry. I never should have…" His voice broke slightly as he turned his gaze back out the window; trying to hide the tears forming in his eyes. I went over and wrapped my arms around him. He clutched onto my sash, trembling and sobbing.

"Khan…"

"I-I just…I didn't want to lose you, I couldn't!" The platinum blonde cried out, tears running down his face. He rubbed his eyes and pulled away from me. "I'm sorry." He turned to head back to the window, but I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back into my embrace.

"I've missed you." I whispered, running my fingers through his silky hair. He shuttered slightly at my touch. He let his gaze rise to meet mine. "But don't you ever do something like that again."

"Gib…" he murmured, a blush gracing his cheeks. My heart began to beat faster. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever see the object of my desire again; and yet there he was, in my arms. I was overwhelmed with yearning. I moved in closer until our lips were almost touching. "Gib…" Khan repeated softly. I let my eyes close.

"I love you." I whispered almost inaudibly as I closed the gap between us. I bit his lower lip tenderly, causing him to open his mouth just enough so that I could slip my tongue in. He moaned deeply as I explored it for the first time, and he began to kiss back. His knees buckled as our tongues slid into contact. I caught his waist before he could fall and pushed further into his mouth. The platinum blonde's breath hitched as he tried to press back, but found himself too overwhelmed. I broke the kiss slowly, sighing softly as I felt a string of saliva stretch out from between our mouths. I opened my eyes and saw Khan's beautiful face stained a deep crimson red, his eyes just fluttering open. I felt my face heat up.

"I…" He began, his blush darkening. "I feel the same way." I brought my left hand up and cupped his jaw, feeling a hot tear run down my arm. I leaned over and licked the salty tear off his cheek, kissing it softly when he let out a sob. I pulled back and looked deeply into his eyes. He started to tremble as he placed his hand on mine. "Could you…please, I-I want...um…" He bit his lip and started to fidget, before crying "Take me!" in distress. I looked him over carefully; the pleading look in his eyes making my heart ache for him stronger than before. I scooped him up into my arms with ease and carried him to his large bed, and then I gently placed him on it.

"Are you sure?" I asked. A look of panic washed over the king's face.

"I've wanted to do this with you since before I…exiled you." He turned his face away from me in shame. I straddled his hips and turned his head towards mine so that I could assault his mouth with my own. He moaned softly as I pulled away.

The next few minutes were spent with him and I tugging at my clothing and accessories; throwing them about the room in an unorderly fashion until I was completely naked. I slowly tugged off his pants, nervously taking in the sight of what I was unveiling.

The next few hours were a blur of ecstasy and overwhelming emotions. Khan writhed and cried out from underneath me in a mix of pleasure and pain, and I just kept pushing onward; not wanting to hold back any longer. I adored the sounds Khan made; the way he tasted, moved, looked…it was simply divine. The way we came together was almost poetic. I collapsed beside him and drew him close to my body. We were both still slick with sweat, along with other fluids, but I didn't care. Khan snuggled up close to me.

"Uhng." He sputtered out, apparently too drained to form a coherent sentence. I chuckled.

"That was defiantly the best sex I've ever had." I sighed happily. Khan made a happy groan into my chest, and I watched his breath fall into a rhythm as he drifted off into sleep. I shortly followed.

Two hours later we woke and made love again.

The next morning we all assembled in Lyude's temporary room to discuss Xelha's discoveries and come up with a plan to deal with the whole end magnus ordeal.

"Please your majesty…what do you think our next action should be?" The blonde asked, a determined expression upon her face. Khan ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He pulled out a letter with the royal seal of Diadem on it and handed it to her.

"You should deliver this letter to Queen Corellia. If my assumptions are correct, the empire will go after Anuenue's end magnus next." Xelha nodded.

"I was thinking the same thing." She said, tucking the letter into her shirt. Khan motioned us to follow him. We walked up to the docks atop of castle Elnath where a giant ship was waiting.

"I'll lend you the royal Mindeer." He said, gesturing to the ship. Lyude shifted uncomfortably.

"I…um, may I come with you to Anuenue?" The red head asked Xelha awkwardly. Xelha looked slightly taken aback for a moment.

"I was under the impression that you already were." She answered, smiling. Lyude blushed. Kalas glared. Khan looked over to me.

"You're going to?" He asked.

"I…yeah." I said quietly, rubbing my arm. I was still stiff and sore from the previous night, and I dreaded having to leave my king again. Khan smiled sadly.

"I thought you would." He turned his attention towards Xelha, the appointed leader of the group. "I trust you have everything that you need?" He asked her. She nodded.

"We have everything we need for now. Thank you for your help King Ladekhan." She bowed, and then walked onto the royal Mindeer. Kalas followed her, and he was followed by Lyude. Khan lightly grabbed my shoulder.

"Please be careful." He whispered. I bit my lip softly.

"Khan I…" I trailed off, and looked around cautiously before leaning in to kiss him. I heard some of the guards that were on duty gasp, and a certain female dressed in pink giggle. Khan smiled into the kiss and started to press back. Unfortunately, we had to pull away from each other before things got too heated.

"Goodbye Gib." My king said sadly.

"I'll come back Khan." I said, obviously determined. Khan smiled.

"I know you will."

And now here I am, steering the Mindeer to Anuenue…wondering if I will live to see Khan again or if I will die trying to save the world from the wicked god Malpercio. I'll have to wait and see.

* * *

**_EEE! It's the end! I hope you liked it as much as I did writing it...I SLAVED over this for ever! Also, Leave a review y/n?_**

**_So I've been talking to some of my friends who have read this and they've been suggesting that I expand on the Gibari Ladekhan love scene and write a bonus chapter going into more detail. If you agree, email me, leave me a private message or post what you want as a review. If the demand is great enough, I will write one for you. _**


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